


Better Watch Out

by Wolfborg007



Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:56:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfborg007/pseuds/Wolfborg007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I'm telling you why. Xellos Claus is coming to town!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Watch Out

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Slayers Secret Santa on Tumblr for user kurage3833.
> 
> Request completed: 12/24/14. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, love! :D

“Oh boy! I hope Xellos Claus comes to bring us presents this year!”  
Filia looked over at the little red-haired children that were brimming with joy. Once again, she had been strong-armed into babysitting, and though she thought the kids were precious gifts from the Astral plane, from the sheer amounts worth of damage these children did on a daily basis, they were definitely Lina and Gourry’s children. 

At the mention of ‘Xellos’, Filia stiffened, every nerve in her body tensing with total revulsion as she thought of that reviling, purple-haired monster.  
“What are you saying? Who is this ‘Xellos Claus’?” the Dragon Priestess asked, coddling her own son in her arms. 

It was the girl that spoke up first, clenching her fists in front of her in a determination that would’ve made any warrior proud.  
“Xellos Claus is a powerful being that comes up through the floors on the Winter Solstice and brings good children toys and candy!” She explained with a grin. “And I heard that if you’re especially good, he’ll even bring you a puppy of your own! That’s what Egil and I are hoping for this year!”

The boy, Egil, looked up at the Golden Dragon, eyes wide with disbelief.  
“You’ve _really_ never heard of the magical fairy named Xellos Claus?” The little boy spoke, his eyes filling with empathetic tears. “Oh, Miss Filia, that must mean you’re on the naughty list every year!! Everyone knows that Xellos Claus keeps very close tabs on what everyone is doing throughout the year!” 

Filia snorted with disgust. That _did_ sound like something that monstrosity would do.  
“I’ve heard of him, but I don’t think he sounds like someone that should be looked up to. He sounds like an absolute _beast_! Not to mention that he’s a monster for real…” She answered, muttering the last part under her breath.  
Nevertheless, the boy’s compassion moved her, and she knelt down to meet them at their eye level.  
“So, is that what you’re looking most to during the holiday season, Lana?” She asked. 

The little girl nodded, grinning widely. “I want my puppy!”

“What about you, Egil?” Filia asked. 

Egil gave it some thought, before shrugging.  
“I’d love to see if Xellos Claus is _actually_ real!” He finally blurted out, his eyes wide with the magic of the Winter solstice.

Filia went pale at the mention of Egil’s Christmas wish.  
“Egil, dear… don’t you want a nice football or something?” She asked. “Even a puppy like Lana?”

Egil nodded. “I’d love a puppy! I mean, a puppy doesn’t do as much damage as a Dragon Slave, so it’s fine. I mean, Lana was practicing hers in the living room, and Mom was so proud! Granted, Ms. Tate next door wasn’t too pleased with the damage it did to her basement… but oh well. A puppy would be awesome!” 

Filia sighed, cradling Valgarv as she stood up again and sighed.  
“Well, that’s good. Now why don’t you two go and play outside for a bit? I’ll be starting up dinner soon.”

Egil and Lana nodded, before running out the door, grabbing their coats on their way out, leaving the coat rack spinning on its legs. Filia reached out to grab it with a free hand, steadying it before it fell over and put, yet another hole in the wall. 

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. The children raced each other up the stairs to their beds after eating dinner; Filia tucked Valgarv in for the night, leaving her to enjoy the quiet of the evening. 

Sitting back in the large armchair that belonged to the blond swordsman that usually lived here, Filia released a sigh. Looking after three children was hard work, but now she could relax… 

Or at least, that’s what she assumed.

As usual, the silence never lasted long. A thudding from the roof caught her attention, and she sighed, standing up. Honestly, it must’ve been the dumbest burgler alive to:  
A. Even attempt to break into the residence of Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev.  
B. Attempt to break into their house with a Golden Dragon house sitting.

Filia stood up, going over to the window to peer out. No one was there, so she assumed that they must’ve gone away. 

“Hello, Filia.” A voice said from behind her. 

Gasping, Filia spun around, nearly tripping on the tail that peered out from beneath her white outfit, before gathering her balance in the most ungraceful manner possible.  
In the middle of the living room, sat the disembodied head of Xellos, looking at her with that squinty-eyed expression, and a smug grin on his face. 

“Did I scare you?” He asked, as a gloved hand appeared from the wooden floor to motion around as he spoke. 

“Of course not! I just thought one of the children fell or something!” She defended angrily. 

“So that means I _did_ startle you.” He replied with a laugh, “I swear, it never gets old. For such large creatures as you are, you Golden Dragons are surprisingly easy to startle.” 

Filia’s face and neck burned with an undying rage.  
“You did no such thing, Xellos, now why don’t you leave before I call the town guards!” she snapped. 

Xellos looked at her, eyebrows raising with interest.  
“Oh, Filia… you know the town guards, or even the military wouldn’t be able to do anything against me. The idea of you sending those _innocent_ people into harms way like that is appaling and shameful for a Dragon Priestess such as yourself!” He answered, his tone smooth and dripping with sarcastic teasing. “Though, I _must_ say… I’m rather impressed with you for even thinking of such an idea!” 

Filia wanted to reach for her mace, but feeling around her waist for the weapon, she remembered that she left it at her own home, since it was Lina and Gourry’s kids that she was babysitting. She didn’t want even the chance of the children getting their hands on a weapon like that. Left unarmed, she simply stamped a foot down, giving an angry groan. 

Xellos merely smirked, fully bringing his body from out the floor as he levitated a few inches up, still grinning at her. In his other hand, he held a large sack that moved next to him. Filia eyed it warily, unsure of what could be in there… though knowing _his_ kind, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. 

The Monster chuckled, following her gaze. “You’re curious about this, aren’t you?” he asked, raising it a bit. “I could show you _privately_ if you want. I mean, we do have the room to ourselves. And if you don’t mind the children being in the other room, well, we could-…”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort, Xellos, so I suggest you make yourself quiet and leave this place immediately! Lina and Gourry aren’t home, and I don’t think they’d want you here even if they were!” She snapped, her face going even more crimson than before.

The Monster remained unfazed. “Oh, well I wasn’t here to see them, Filia. Isn’t that obvious? I know all about their trip to Seyruun to visit Amelia and Zelgadis. Shocking that they didn’t take you with them, but I suppose, being a single Dragon such as yourself, they wouldn’t take you out on a romantic getaway such as that.” He answered with a nonchalant shrug. 

Filia sneered, and was about to respond with several colorful expletives, when-

“Miss Filia, why are you being mean to Xellos Claus?” 

Lana and Egil were standing at the top of the stairs, peering down, with their young, plump little faces squeezing through the bars. Egil looked on the edge of tears as Lana gripped the bars in her hands. She turned to her younger brother with a sigh.

“I think I know why Miss Filia is on the naughty list every year.” She explained, earning a nod of agreement from her brother. 

“I still can’t believe he’s real!” Egil whispered excitedly. “Let alone, he came early! The Winter Celebration hasn’t even come yet!” 

Filia found herself even more livid, but, with the children now in the room, she couldn’t help but regain her composure as she exhaled deeply.  
“Lana, Egil, please go back upstairs to sleep. I’ll be dealing with this intruder myself.” She answered calmly.

Lana and Egil exchanged glances between each other, Filia, and Xellos before looking back at each other. They then nodded and headed back into their bedroom.

Xellos simply watched her, before reaching for his sack.  
“Now wait a minute you two!” he called out, just before the two passed through their threshold. 

Lana and Egil paused, lighting up at the fact that Xellos Claus was addressing them. 

Xellos held up his sack, before opening it. Out of the opening lept a brown tuft of fur, emitting several barks as the puppy bounded up the stairs towards them.

“A PUPPY!” the two children squealed in unison, dissolving into giggles as the puppy licked their faces and greeted them with a wagging tail. “Thanks Xellos Claus!” 

The pair then retreated back into the room, with Egil carrying the puppy in his arms, looking absolutely gleeful. 

Filia watched the children, moved temporarily by their glee, before going wide-eyed. What if that puppy wasn’t a puppy at all, but was rather an Astral Beast in disguise. A Monster like Xellos, who had no problem slaughtering all of her kind would have no problem giving an Astral Beast to a couple of children for the holidays.  
“Xellos, what is that puppy?!” She demanded.

Xellos looked at her. “Whatever do you mean, Filia?” he asked. “A puppy is a puppy. That’s all there is too it! What’s wrong with delivering a little early holiday cheer to the children of some dear friends, hmm? Besides, what horrid person would go using magic on a puppy? You _have_ grown heartless, Filia.”

“Everything is wrong with it if it’s coming from _you_!” Filia snapped, racing up the stairs as she went to save the children. She didn’t like the idea of turning her back on the monster in the living room, but she wasn’t going to put those children, including her own, in any further danger. 

Xellos simply chuckled, settling down in Gourry’s armchair, materializing a cup of tea that he sipped on with contentment. 

Filia, meanwhile, watched the children curled up, with the puppy between them in the bed. She sighed. It would’ve been such a cute scene if she wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t a monster disguised as a puppy.  
Under her breath, she began her soft incantation, determined to expose this puppy and break the spell of a disguise that the creature very obviously had on it.

“O power of light and earth and wind. Break now this evil spell. Flow Break!” 

She reached out her hand towards the small dog.

A beat passed and nothing seemed to happen. She took a step back, actually shocked. Maybe she _had_ judged him too harshly. 

She was glancing over her shoulder down where Xellos was still settled in the armchair, when she looked back at the children. They were still asleep, nestled safely under the covers with their new puppy tucked between them… but the puppy seemed bigger than when she remembered looking at it last. 

“Hmm… that’s odd…” she muttered to herself. However, a gentle rumbling shook her feet, and she looked over to see that the puppy was not only even bigger, but rapidly growing. 

It was only after Egil and Lana were shoved off the bed on each side that they woke up with a start.  
“Wh-what happened? Miss Filia, what are you doing here?” Egil asked, giving a tired yawn as he pawed at his eyes.

He looked over at the puppy, which had now become the size of a small horse and took up the entire size of the mattress. Its tail hung off the edge of the bed, as rapidly growing paws twitched as the dog ran in its dreams.

Filia gathered up the sleeping Valgarv and ushered Lana and Egil out of the room. “Come on, children. Let’s have you sleep downstairs.” She answered. 

“But what about our puppy?” Lana asked, looking back into the bedroom as the puppy grew more, now almost filling up the small room. 

“Don’t worry, you two. I’ll get Xellos Claus to fix everything.” She answered.  
The Golden Dragon pushed the two children into the master bedroom, tucking Valgarv onto another chair with blankets surrounding him, before closing the door behind her. Immediately, she stormed up to Xellos, fists clenched.  
“Xellos! You told me that that puppy was just a puppy!” She shrieked.

Xellos put down his teacup on the nearby table, before looking over at her.  
“You tried using magic on it, didn’t you?” He asked, tut-tutting at her. “I told you that it wasn’t necessary. Filia, honestly! You couldn’t trust me just this once?”

“No!” Came the immediate reply. “What’s happening? Stop it growing this instant!” 

“Well, you see… that dog gains its power with holy magic. White magic does nothing against it, and Holy Magic only makes it grow stronger.” He stated simply. “Nothing we can do now but sit and watch… but it’s fine, that puppy won’t do anything to hurt anyone. He just wants to play like any puppy would. After all, a puppy is a puppy, right?”

“No! Surely you must do something! The dog keeps growing, and soon, it might take over the whole house!” She argued.

A loud crash from the Master Bedroom caught her attention, and the screams of the two children drew her to opening the door.  
“GOODNESS!” She yelped, following Egil’s and Lana’s gazes to the ceiling. Through the wood, a giant paw hung down, still twitching.  
“Miss Filia, look! Our puppy’s all grown up now!” Egil pointed out. 

The Golden Dragon shook her head. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.” She answered. 

Soon, the rumbling shook the whole house and barking came from upstairs. 

A piece of concrete fell from the ceiling, hitting Filia in the head, and she gasped, shielding Valgarv from harm and looking up to see, not the ceiling of Lina and Gourry’s home, but the night sky. 

Valgarv giggled as the dog peered in, a lopsided smile with a large tongue peered down, looking at them, before giving an enthusiastic bark. 

Filia went pale at the sight of the giant dog, but Xellos looked simply intrigued.  
“How interesting!” he replied. “Filia, you must be more powerful than I thought. I never expected that puppy to grow so rapidly. What _have_ you been feeding it?” 

The Dragon Priestess stomped her foot down, glaring daggers at the Monster that now stood up, touching a finger to his lips. 

“You know quite well what I did! This is _your_ fault, Xellos!” Filia snapped.  
Xellos simply shrugged in retaliation.  
“I did nothing of the sort, Filia. I actually _warned_ you not to use magic, didn’t I?” he answered. “That’s what happens when you don’t believe in the words of Xellos Claus.” 

Filia glared at him, before looking down at Lana and Egil, who simply nodded in agreement. 

“That’s exactly why you’re on the naughty list, Miss Filia.” Egil answered sadly. 

Nearing the point to where she wanted to groan with frustration and irritation, she looked up at the dog, which was between watching them, to looking around, its floppy ears perked as it picked up the sounds of the bustling town. 

“Treats?” Came a reverberating voice from above them. 

All of their attentions were drawn upwards, as the dog opened its maw again. “Treat?” it asked again, wagging a giant tail.

“Ah, I was wondering when its power of speech was going to kick in! Isn’t this exciting?” Xellos replied, leaning back and levitating, so it appeared like he was lounging in an invisible chair. 

“Xellos, this is no time to be taking it easy! This is a very serious situation!” Filia answered. “You know how to stop this dog, and I demand that you do so!” 

“I can’t.” He replied. “This is your mission, Filia. You want to protect the _children_ , don’t you?”

She looked down at Egil, Lana, and Valgarv, before sighing. Yes, it was her duty to protect them, but what could she do? She didn’t have her mace, and it’s not as though she could change forms with _him_ here… What was there to do? What was left? 

“Miss Filia, look!” Lana squeaked excitedly, pointing upwards.

Filia glanced up, seeing the dog’s head missing from the roofless ceiling of Lina and Gourry’s home, and her jaw dropped. 

It had been just there a second ago, and now where had it gone?

“TREATS!” Came the booming voice of the giant had-been puppy, and each of its quaking bounds as it rampaged towards the rest of the town.

“You should’ve stopped it sooner, Filia.” Xellos pointed out. “Now a whole bunch of people might die.”  
Filia went pale. No, she couldn’t let that happen. She looked down at the children.  
“Lana, I’m leaving you in charge. Go take your younger brother and Valgarv and shut yourselves into the master bedroom. I’m going to go and catch that beast!” She ordered.

Lana took Valgarv in her arms, before looking up at her with the saddest eyes imaginable.  
“Don’t hurt our puppy, Miss Filia. He’s a good boy, I promise!” She answered.

Filia felt her heart tug, and she sighed.  
“Fine…” She answered. “I promise to the both of you that I’ll bring him home safe and sound.” 

Lana and Egil lit up.  
“Thanks, Miss Filia!” They chirped in unison, before scurrying into the master bedroom.

The Dragon Priestess then looked over to Xellos. “You do anything to harm those kids, I’ll punish you myself!” She warned.

Xellos looked at her innocently. “I’d do nothing of the sort, Filia.” He promised. “Actually, there’s something I need to do. I’ll see you later, hmm?”  
And with that, he disappeared.

Hearing screams of terrified villagers and still feeling the earthquake that the dog was making, and as seeing that Xellos was no longer around, she changed into her dragon form.

With a roar, she flew up into the sky, trying to catch any sight of the puppy. As she looked down, her giant, golden wings flapping. The street that they lived on had been obliterated, and the dog was yards away, knocking into more buildings with its head and its ignorantly happy wagging tail. 

“Over here you!” Filia called out.

She knew that the dog heard her, as its ears perked up and it turned back towards her. As its eyes widened with intrigue, as it gave a wide grin.

“SQUIRREL?!” The dog barked, looking over at Filia. “Squirrel? Squirrel? Chase?!” 

Filia gasped.  
“Squirrel?” she asked, absolutely insulted. “I look nothing of the sort!”  
Her eyes narrowed, though she had very little time to remain irritated as the dog suddenly bounded towards her, running at full speed. 

~O~O~O~O~O~  
“Tickets, anyone? We’re still taking bets on who will win this ultimate showdown! Will it be the last of the Golden Dragons, or will it be the Giant Rampaging Holy Beast?” 

Xellos stood on top of a barrel before a gathering crowd, holding tickets in one hand and making change with the other.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience, folks, and tickets are going fast! Already the event has started!” 

He pointed up towards the sky as people gasped out their surprise, shock, and awe. 

“That’s right! You can only see it here, my fine people!” he called out as people moved forward, money in hand, to buy tickets to fully enjoy the experience.

He glanced up, seeing the dog chase Filia about the skies, trying to snap at her tail, shouting at the “Squirrel” as he did so.

Xellos chuckled to himself. Humans were always so amusing… but not nearly as amusing as watching Golden Dragons being chased around by giant canines. 

It was worth the effort of selling tickets beforehand!

~O~O~O~O~O~

Meanwhile, in the town over, Lina and Gourry were sitting back, plates stacked high on the wooden table.  
“Now, remember Gourry, you’re paying this time.” Lina reminded. 

“I am?” The Blond swordsman asked. “I don’t remember every agreeing to-”

“Yep, you’re paying! Now come on! Before I end up falling asleep here.” Lina answered, giving a stretch and standing up.

“So, anyway, I can’t believe that my cousin paid tickets to see that! I mean, he could’ve just looked up and seeing the Golden Dragon flying around. And who can miss a giant dog? Honestly!” 

At the mention of a “Golden Dragon”, Gourry turned to his wife.  
“That’s funny. I thought Filia was the last of the Golden Dragons.” He pointed out. “And a giant dog? Man, I’d pay a lotta money to see that. Lina, maybe we should go check it out!”

“No, Gourry! Filia is the last of the Golden Dragons! Come on, we should head home. Something tells me that something is very wrong over there.” The Sorceress replied. “Come on. We should head back and see what all this Giant Dog nonsense is about.”  
~O~O~O~O~O~

 

By the time they got back, half the town was in smoking ruins, and Lina gasped.  
“What happened?!” She shouted.

“Hey, look! It’s Filia!” Gourry shouted from behind her.  
She looked up to see more fires breaking up, and the dog continued chasing Filia about the skies. 

“She’s _supposed_ to be babysitting Egil and Lana!” Lina growled. “What does she think she’s doing wrecking half the city like that? But more importantly, why is she leaving our children unattended?!” 

“Ah, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev… or is it also Inverse nowadays?” a smooth voice asked, appearing from amongst the crowd.

“Xellos… I should’ve known you were behind this whole thing…” Lina muttered, seeing the purple-haired monster approach them.

“Are you here to buy tickets to the event as well?” He asked, grinning. “I’ll give you a good deal, because it’s amongst friends.” 

“NO! I want to know what’s going on here!” Lina barked. “Why is Filia not watching our kids? Who’s giant dog is that?! And why is half the city in ruins?!”

Xellos smirked.  
“Oh, well, that’s your giant dog, and it thinks Filia is a squirrel, hence the chase and the ruined city…” He replied. “Perhaps you should try and take care of it yourself.”

Before Xellos even got the chance to finish, Lina was rolling up her sleeves.  
“It’s like you read my mind.” She answered, pushing through the crowd. “Gourry, clear everyone out of here. I’ll handle this!”

The Swordsman nodded, pushing people as far back as he could. He knew what was happening, and as ticketholders fled the scene, he winced.  
“Lina, wait! Is this really necessary! It’s just a dog!” He asked.

But she had already started the incantation.

__

_“Darkness beyond twilight_  
 _Crimson beyond blood that flows_  
 _Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows_  
 _I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand_  
 _before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand_  
 _Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed_  
 _by the power you and I possess..._  
 _DRAGON SLAVE!”_

With her last shout, she leaned back as the beam of light shot from her hands in the dog’s direction. 

The dog, hearing the chant, looked over, and opening its mouth wide, it went to swallow the beam of light.

Filia, meanwhile, stopped in mid-air, seeing the powerful spell. The dog was swallowing the Dragon Slave spell.  
She gasped, putting her claws to her mouth as she hovered in midair.  
“B-but what sort of beast has that kind of power to ingest a Dragon Slave?!” She yelped in absolute horror.

Lina watched as the bolt of light disappeared, and the dog licked its chops, sitting down, looking very full and very content. 

“Ah, well that was a bit anti-climactic, wasn’t it?” Xellos replied as the crowd began to gather again.

Rumbling shook the ground, and gasps were heard. 

“What else could be happening?” Filia wondered aloud.

The Dog, however, instead of growing, began to shrink, slowly at first, but then the pace rapidly picked up, and soon it couldn’t be spotted amongst the wreckage. Only a small yip was what caught Filia’s attention as she swooped down to pick up Lana and Egil’s new pet. 

Spotting Lina and Gourry in the crowd, she swooped down to a clear area, clutching the dog in her arms. 

“What on earth is that thing?!” Lina asked, snatching it from Filia’s arms.

“It’s a Holy Beast that derives its power from Holy Magic. Your black magic did the opposite effect. Instead of making it grow, it made it shrink.” Xellos explained casually.

Filia shot him a glare.  
“You let this thing crush the town, and you could’ve stopped it all along?! Y-you said you couldn’t!” The Dragon Priestess shrieked. 

Xellos shrugged.  
“I said I couldn’t because I had no will to. It was _far_ too entertaining to watch you chase after it, after all.” He answered simply.  
“The nerve of this whole thing!” Filia growled. “You’re an absolute-!”

Lina, however, looked at the puppy, who licked her nose and wagged its tail.  
“Something like this must be worth a fortune, right?” She asked, cutting Filia off mid-sentence, looking at the floppy eared holy beast. “You and me are gonna take a trip to the market and then we’ll see what happens, right?”

“WAIT! DON’T SELL HIM!” 

Egil and Lana came running through the crowd, Lana still holding Valgarv.  
“Don’t sell Muffins! Mommy, don’t!” Egil pleaded. “I know he did a lot of bad stuff, but he was just excited! He’s a good boy, see? He won’t hurt anyone any more, will he, Xellos Claus?” 

Xellos shook his head.  
“As long as you don’t use any more Holy Magic on him, he should be like any run of the mill mutt.” He answered. 

Lina looked between the puppy and Xellos, to her children who tugged at her cape, begging her.  
“Muffins, huh?” She asked.

Even Gourry began to look at her with pleading eyes.  
“Please Lina? Can we keep him?” He asked. 

Lina gave a loud groaning sigh, as the puppy leaned forward to lick her nose with a yip.  
“ _Fine_ … We can keep him. But we’ve got to give it a better name than ‘Muffins’.” She answered. 

She looked down, and seeing the continued pleading looks on her children’s faces, she let the puppy down with another sigh.  
“Okay, okay… Muffins it is.” She replied, defeated. 

Egil and Lana grinned, gathering Muffins up in their arms, before heading back home with delighted laughter.  
“Thanks Xellos Claus!” Lana replied. “I never really thought I was gonna get a puppy this year!”

“Yeah! And please remember Miss Filia, even though she’s probably on the naughty list!” Egil piped up, before joining his sister and running past him.

It all seemed like things were all right in the world, when, pushing through the crowd, the Mayor of the town appeared.  
“I should’ve known that you were behind this, Lina Inverse!” He barked. “Look at all of this damage your pet and that dragon has caused! Who’s going to pay for all of this?!” 

“WHAT?! I did nothing of the sort! I just GOT here!” Lina snapped, grabbing the mayor by the collar of his shirt. 

“They’re actually right.” Filia answered, stepping forward, now back in her human form, with her hands clasped in front of her. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who set that beast on the town. It was an accident, but as Dragon Priestess, I must be completely honest with you, Mr. Mayor. I’m to blame for these damages. Charge me with what you will, but I’ll not be having Lina be taking the blame for me.” 

The Mayor eyed her suspiciously.  
“I can’t even begin to count the amount of money this will come to!”

“Actually, Mr. Mayor… I’ve done the math, and this should about cover it.”  
From Filia’s side, Xellos levitated, handing the sack of money that contained the ticket sales that he had been handing out from before.  
“I assure you that this will be more than enough.” He answered, dropping the three ton bag in front of him.

The Mayor’s eyes went wide as he looked at the bag, then over at Xellos, who merely smiled.  
“Wh-where did you get all this in such a short amount of time? Not even all the money in my town would accumulate to this!” He yelped.

Xellos merely smirked, putting a finger to his lips.  
“Now that is a secret!” He answered smugly.

“How did I know he was going to say that?” Lina muttered under her breath. “Anyway, it’s been fun… but we’ve got to head back. I’ll see you later, Filia. Come on, Gourry.” 

Gourry gave a friendly wave, before following after her. 

Filia watched as the mayor gathered the money onto a nearby cart with the help of the small crowd. Then, as she turned her head, Xellos was there, inches away from her.  
She gave a shriek, stepping back.

“So, it didn’t end up costing you anything after all. Isn’t that something?” he pointed out.

Filia looked over at him, and was about to retort with how terrible an experience it was, and how selfish he was for publically humiliating her, but honestly, now that she thought of it… all he had done was given two children a puppy, and ultimately paid off the extraordinary amount of debt she would’ve owned.

She simply sighed.  
“It is… I never thought I’d say this… but thank you, Xellos. I do appreciate it.” She replied.

Xellos simply smirked, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.  
“Happy Solstice, Filia.” He replied, watching her face go absolutely red, and she went to slap him, but he had disappeared just as her hand was about to reach the edge of his haughty smirk. 

She sighed, gathering herself and Valgarv, before heading back home where Jillas and Gravos were probably worried sick about her.  
It was definitely an exhausting day, but looking down at Valgarv, she sighed. Everybody deserved a second chance. Maybe Xellos did too.


End file.
